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EVANSVILLE, IN (01/07/2014)(readMedia)-- University of Evansville student Patilyn Lowery of Bettendorf, IA, will spend the Spring 2014 semester studying abroad at Harlaxton College, UE's British campus near Grantham, England.

Lowery, who is majoring in Art and Associated Studies, is among 172 students who begin classes Monday, January 13 at Harlaxton, housed in a 120-room Victorian manor in the East Midlands countryside.

"For more than 40 years, studying at Harlaxton College has been a definitive part of the University of Evansville experience. Where else can students live and study in a grand manor house, travel throughout the United Kingdom and Europe on weekends, and form lasting ties with local residents?" said Earl Kirk, UE director of study abroad. "We're thrilled to provide this transformational educational experience for students such as Patilyn Lowery, and we wish all of the Spring 2014 Harlaxton students a semester of learning, discovery, and growth."

The Harlaxton curriculum features a core course, The British Experience, which offers an interdisciplinary introduction to British life and culture. Literature, art history, economics, history, and political science are part of the course, which combines lectures, seminars, and field trips to locations such as Lincoln and London. In addition to The British Experience, students enroll in a range of classes in the liberal arts and pre-professional studies. Harlaxton College's British faculty is supplemented by visiting faculty members from American institutions.

Optional weekend trips to destinations such as London, Paris, Ireland, Wales, and the Lake District in northern England provide students with opportunities to engage the culture in Britain and beyond. While at Harlaxton, students may participate in the popular Meet-a-Family program, athletics, and other activities.

The University of Evansville is a private, liberal arts-based university with a full-time undergraduate enrollment of approximately 2,400. UE's diverse student body represents 42 states and 46 countries. U.S. News & World Report recognizes UE as a top 10 master's-granting university in the Midwest, and third in the region for "Great Schools, Great Prices." For more information, please visit http://www.evansville.edu.

Strong education leaders needed in 2014 elections

By Jeanne Allen & Kara Kerwin

Thanks to assessments of educational progress, we know where our children stand compared to other communities, states, and even nations. Now that the holidays are behind us, it's time to take stock of how we are doing, and set resolutions for the New Year.

According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), U.S. students are lagging behind. 2012 results show the U.S. is on a rapid decline, ranking 36th in math, 24th in reading, and 28th in science. On the Nation's Report Card (NAEP), only 34% of 8th graders are proficient in reading and math.

Where have we gone wrong? Quite simply, we've elected the wrong people.

In response to children demonstrating less proficiency, the Governors of the 1980s started a movement that reduced federal meddling in state policy and united both parties over issues of choice and accountability. Then-Governors Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Bill Clinton of Arkansas embraced transformative changes, coalesced other state leaders into an outspoken force, and brought their efforts to national prominence at a groundbreaking policy-making summit in Charlottesville, VA.  Governor Tommy Thompson partnered with Democratic and African-American lawmaker Polly Williams to enact the nation's first voucher program for the neediest children.

Bold leadership in the 1990s saw then-Michigan Governor John Engler buck his own party to equalize school funding, permit parent choices, and enact a charter school law that remains a national model today. Standards and accountability were heresy when Virginia Governor George Allen decided his state needed uniform measures to elevate outcomes. Pennsylvania's Tom Ridge created a tax credit program to fund school choice scholarships and secured a hard-fought charter school law. And Jeb Bush of Florida oversaw some of the deepest education policy changes the nation has ever seen.

That fervor ignited a movement of educators, parents, and community leaders who started schools, turned around existing ones, became legislators, and created innovations in learning and school delivery, including digital learning. What was once a fast and furious run for school reform from the ground up has come to a steady crawl, incapable of reversing educational decline.

When governors are strong, they counter special interests - teachers unions, school boards associations, and the like - that inhibit progress. When governors are weak, policies emanate from "above" to supplant state programs. Apathetic or timid governors wait for bills to reach their desks, allow special interests to organize, and govern by favorability ratings. The result is a lack of commitment to executing much needed changes.

For example, charter schools are known to be hotbeds of innovation or providers of quality education. Despite numerous studies attesting to their progress in closing the achievement gap, charter schools are still expanding in low numbers in some states, and exist with policies that hamstring those who wish to open them in others. It sounds dramatic that 42 states and D.C. have charter laws, but only half that number have any vibrant charter environment that can help a small number of students. State leaders are key to creating more options, yet laws that need to be improved are compromised from the first discussions.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Bashear recently remarked that his state didn't need charter schools because the education system was improving, despite evidence to the contrary. He was confusing activity and effort with results, a common problem among today's leaders.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett once declared education a top priority but has achieved little reform despite his party's full control of the state legislature. Even with Chris Christie, New Jersey moved forward in requiring teachers be evaluated as a condition of employment, yet the final compromise with unions resulted in more ways to skirt the system.

Some state officials show promise of becoming tomorrow's reform leaders. Wisconsin's Scott Walker looked unions in the eye and didn't blink. Louisiana's Bobby Jindal has set records for positive education reform lawmaking in a state where a devastating storm served as a catalyst for a new public education landscape. Both have state legislatures excited to join them in fighting the status quo.

Make no mistake - the U.S. education system remains in crisis and the achievement gap between poor and minority students and the rest of society remains wide. Most people are aware that the solution is not more money or superficial changes. The key to solving the crisis is electing governors who understand that they have the power to change a system, and holding them accountable to do so. With 36 gubernatorial elections underway in 2014, we should all resolve to make education our top priority when we take to the polls in November.

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Jeanne Allen founded the Center for Education Reform (CER) in 1993. Today she serves as senior fellow and president-emeritus. She is President of The Allen Company and currently writes and speaks regularly all over the country on education and cultural issues.

Kara Kerwin is Allen's successor as president. CER, based in the Washington, DC metro-area, is the leading national voice and advocate for lasting, substantive and structural education reform in the U.S. For more information or to join CER and its thousands of members, visit our website at www.edreform.com.

Tatting Class To Be Hosted by Peaceful River

McCausland, IA/October 30, 2013 - Peaceful River Trading Co. is hosting a Tatting class on Sunday, January 12th.  Come join the fun at 1:00pm at 302 North Salina Street in McCausland, Iowa.

The cost for this class is $10.00 person and that includes everything you'll need, except the tatting shuttle.  Each student will also want a straight pin or safety pin and a pair of crafting scissors. You can bring your own clover brand tatting shuttle to the class or pick one up at Peaceful River for an additional fee.  Babysitting is also available during the class for an additional $5.00 per child.

Tatting is a technique used for handcrafting lace developed by a series of knots and loops.  Tatting can be used to make lace edging as well as doilies, collars and other ornamental pieces.

Tatting with a shuttle, like we'll be teaching in this class, is the earliest method of creating tatted lace. A tatting shuttle aids in tatting by holding a length of wound thread and guiding it through loops to make the necessary knots.

Owners, Sheila Bosworth and Kit Gleason are excited to host the class. "We want to give people the opportunity to create their own pieces of art. So many times, as we get older, we lose that creative, artistic side we had when we were younger. These classes offer adults a way to get back in touch with their creativity."

To register for the Tatting class on January 12th, call Peaceful River at 563-225-2100 by Wednesday, January 6th.

Peaceful River is a treasure trove of arts and crafts as well as antiques, gifts and collectibles.  Nestled inside a beautiful circa-1916 bank building, visitors travel back in time while browsing through the great selection Peaceful River has to offer.  Peaceful River Trading Co. is open from 10 am to 5 pm Wednesday through Saturday and 11 am to 4 pm on Sundays.  McCausland is located about 20 miles northeast of Davenport, just off Utica Ridge Road on F33 and 5 minutes north of Scott County Park.  Explore Peaceful River Trading Co. at www.peacefulrivertradingco.com.